I am home from the camper today. And I had a mission. I had been waiting for an Internet order of some "special items" to be sent to my swap partner in a Halloween swap. Paula at Coffee Time Stitches hosted the swap. Whew! That box is ready to mail!

I promise there are no shoes in that box. I did think about including a UFO or two.....!

Next on the list is laundry and some sewing. Lately the weather has been undecided--should it be windy and blustery or sunshiny and more summer like? Today started out very nice, but now its windy and it may rain overnight. Summer is almost to an end, not sure how many more days I am going to volunteer.

Now I have to confess! Yes, I bought fabric this week. 14 3/4 yards. Oh well, might as well say 15 yds!! My best friend is coming to visit and sew and all those other sorts of things we do, and we were talking about the 4 patch stacked posies quilts. And I decided we should make two, one for each of us. And this is the fabric I bought for the quilt, do you think it will work?

There are varying colors, different size flowers, a black background, the repeat is 24" I think. Best of all, with my coupon this quilt shop quality fabric was $1.99@yd!

So that brings my stash report to -10 yds. I've used 10 yds more than I've bought this year!! But the tops are piling up, soon I will be home to quilt. Maybe my numbers will be better then.

I am still volunteering, maybe one or two more weeks left before I pack up and head home. The weather is absolutely beautiful, in the 70's during the day, 50's at night. Perfect camping weather.

My goals this week were just that--goals. I haven't made them. The blue/white bricks and stepping stones are still sitting. I did press the strips I had sewn on my Sonja's Windows. I worked on the long sashings for my 9 patches and made a few more 9 patches SINCE I'M BEHIND!!! Arrgh! But it's been a good week, spent time visting with my sisters, and Ken and I did get an afternoon of shopping in.

Oh yes, I used my coupon and will have to fess up on my stash report! I guess I am "thrifty" as I do like to buy my fabric on sale. When I used my coupon I bought quality fabric for $1.99yd. So it's going to make my numbers go up, but I feel good about the purchase.

Today was a bumbly sort of day. I HAD planned on driving to Sioux Falls to do a little shopping. Then talked to my sister and told her I had made an Italian Cream cake, and she asked if I would bring her and the other library ladies a piece. Sure! So on my way out the door, I was carrying purse, keys, coffee, the cake slices, and almost lost the cake. You know, where it's doing flips in the air and you hope gravity keeps it upright in the container??! Whew--no major damages. So I arrive at the library in time for coffee, and proceeded to pour my entire cup of coffee down the front of my shirt. Rats! So instead I went home and changed clothes, put the shirt in the laundry, and decided I would take cake to my OTHER sister and my dad. The whole afternoon was spent visiting. Well, sometimes you just gotta do that!

I was feeling pretty good about my 9 patch quilt a long, and today I realized I am 24 9 patches behind! Arrrggghh! But I will iron and sew a few more tonight, I will catch up!

My flowers are having an "end of year bloom your heart out". Remember when I trained them on bamboo sticks tied up with selvages?

They have covered up the bamboo sticks, and are now climbing to the top of the pergola. Morning glories, Purple striped Malva, Purple and Scarlet runner beans, and Cardinal flowers. Oh dear, my font has changed and I don't know why!

Monday again, and no finishes in sight. Finishes are what I will work on when I am not camping! I worked on last week goals, sewed sashings on most my 9 patches, made some more 9 patches, and worked on my Bricks and Stepping Stones. Today I sewed on some new blocks--string blocks--the pattern is called Sonja's Windows. And I sewed some navy blue/white stepping stones blocks together. Next week my goals will be--

Continue to work on navy blue/white stepping stones until they are in "rows"

Sew more strips on "Sonja's Windows"

I am hoping to get in a shopping trip, I have a COUPON and would like to try making one of those quilts, I think the name is "four patch stacked posies". I checked my stash, and I haven't a fabric that will work.

After slacking off last week, I did some sewing! I put sashing on some of the 9 patches, sewed the navy blue/white stepping stones into pairs, and made about 25 more 9 patches. I am joining in with crazymomquilts for a 2nd round of these addicting 9 patches, I think I want one for myself. The first one has a "home" already in mind.

I am scheduled to volunteer over the weekend, I may sew in the evenings, or I may read. Both are priorities!Most of my current projects are getting rather large for working on in the camper, but I do have another project cut and waiting in a plastic basket.

We've spent the last few days recovering from Mason. Remember how busy and tiring a one year old is? But we miss him! On their way home we all drove to Sioux Falls and went to the Zoo. I'm not sure how much Mason enjoyed it, but the day was beautiful, and walking and viewing the animals was fun.

Look carefully, there is a Rhino in the background! After that, we went to Olive Garden and ate the "never ending pasta bowls". The food was excellent, and Mason liked what grandma was eating, there was a lot of sharing going on!

I also found some time to make some block lottery blocks for an online quilt group. Sometimes I participate, sometimes I don't. But this month I really liked the blocks--

The pattern is an arrowhead block from Marcia Hohn's site, and they were to be done in a black, white, and a bright solid. I really hope I win, I like this pattern!

Yesterday I was reading crazy mom quilts and she was talking about Quilts of Valor and asked if a "few people" would send her Wonky Star blocks as described on her blog. QOV is one of my favorite things, so I quickly made a block to send to her. I am imagining her mailbox right now!

I know she is going to get lots of blocks and offers of help, but I will offer too. You need any help, just give me a holler!!

Okay, I THOUGHT about sewing! While Mason was napping, but that didn't last long! Last night Laura Beth and Nick went out, and grandma and grandpa had Mason all to themselves! We played, ate, had a bath, and generally just "hung out".

Tomorrow is the birthday party, so we're all busy getting ready. More pictures then!

Laura Beth, Nick and Mason arrived late last night. Ahhh!! Snuggles and kisses and all those good things. (No, I didn't mean KEN!) Laura Beth and Nick went to run a few errands, thought Mason would nap but really, you are in a strange bedroom and although you can REACH a few things over the top of the playpen, you can't PLAY with anything! So grandma picked him up and took him in by grandpa--who had worked the overnight and was sleeping---and voila! He is napping with grandpa! See, I KNEW grandpa could babysit! No pictures yet, but imagine an angelic face on the pillow all snuggled up in a big bed.

I'm going to have a busy week this week. Mason, Laura Beth and Nick are coming for several days. So I *hopefully* won't have much time to sew! A big first birthday get together is planned. So I'm not having any sewing goals this week. I plan lots of play/snuggle time with Mason. Grandpa has promised an ice cream trip with him! And just MAYBE Laura Beth and Nick will leave for a day and Grandma and Grandpa can have him all to themselves!

Nothing bought, and nothing finished. Stuck record! But I have been sewing and I hope to have some finishes soon. Still stuck at -25 yards. I want to bust 75 more yards by the end of the year, and I KNOW if I would just have time to quilt and finish a few things, I would be there. So I haven't given up hope!

I like to grow flowers. I'm not into landscaping etc, I just throw in a plant or some seeds and see what happens. I had planned to move my wisteria, but they budded out early. Instead I planted some morning glories and some runner beans at the corners of my deck.

I found this beauty low down on the corner of my deck. That bloom is about as big as my hand--with fingers spread! The little red flower at the top is a Cardinal flower.

The intense color of this morning glory is lovely.

The morning glorys and the runner beans are starting to creep across the railings.

My intentions were to have my wisteria climbing the corners of the deck, maybe I can move it next spring. These are a mixture of scarlet and purple runner beans, morning glories, and cardinal flowers. To the right is striped purple malva growing in front of a clematis.

My trumpet vine needs help, there isn't enough room where it is.

Earlier this year I helped Ken get his bike ready to ride to work. I don't think it has moved since then, the vines have grow into the front of it and are blooming. In his defense, he works nights and the street to his work has been torn up all summer. A rather dangerous place to ride in the dark! I would much rather have him drive than break something!!

My goals this week were small, to continue piecing on the two bricks and stepping stones tops. I have the b/w stepping stones pieced into rows, now I am auditioning it on the wall to see if any rows need to be moved.

Yes, it's too big for me to get it all on the picture, right now it is about 78x99", and I think I will add a small plain border. So far I haven't found any blocks I *hate* next to each other, and I love scrappy quilts. It has an amazing assortment of fabrics in it, it's my kind of quilt!

I've also been working on the navy blue/white with blue bricks blocks. I have enough "matchsticks" made to make a top 66x81", but would like it a bit bigger to go on a queen bed. With people under it! So I'll have to decide whether to make a few more pieces, or ponder it a bit more. I'm worried it will become too "bleah" when I get all the blues together, what do you think?

Anything different I could add, perhaps a bit of another color like lavenders/purples?? Come on everyone, this one may need help!! Okay, I'll admit that blue isn't my most favorite color to work with, but I'm trying to get out of my comfort zone!

Another random thought, my best friend just shakes her head and laughs at my choices. I love to use up leftovers like these in mindless chain piecing. I am like Mereth, I would be thrilled to see an empty basket!

I've read a lot in the last year about how people pursue their hobbies. Some have only one project and they work only on it. Some people have several projects in the works. Whenever I get the urge to become too focused on a project, I remember what my grandmother told me--"it's a pastime".

Mirriam-Webster's definition--pastime-something that amuses and serves to make time pass agreeably

When I hop from project to project, I remember this, and I don't feel guilty about picking one thing up and then working on another. Remember to keep your projects fun!!

Judy asked how our goals for the year were coming. Yearly goals?? I'm not sure if I had yearly goals! Nope, I looked back, I only have weekly goals! I've already decided not to make any Christmas presents. And I worked hard the previous two years on UFO's, so that really wasn't a goal either. (I still have plenty of UFO's!) If I finished a few, great! But, I need to work harder on finishing projects I have started, and get those stash busting figures growing. I was hoping to bust another 100 yards by the end of the year. I think I can do it, if I just finish some of those "almost done" projects!

So where are you at, did you make a yearly goal? Only four months left!